Horticulture New Zealand is thrilled that mandatory Country of Origin labelling for fruit and vegetables got a step closer today, with the second reading of the Consumers’ Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill passing in Parliament.

Two cases of potato mop-top virus have been confirmed in Mid Canterbury, but many more are suspected, Biosecurity New Zealand says. The virus, confirmed in two crops last month, was found during routine sampling of material at a cooked-chip processing facility.

The potato mop-top virus was discovered in potatoes grown on two Canterbury properties last month. In an update to industry stakeholders this week, Potatoes New Zealand (PNZ) and Biosecurity New Zealand said 18 more farms in the Canterbury region had been added to the suspect list and testing had been widened to the North Island.

One of New Zealand's leading growers, Bostock, is stepping up the supply of its new Kabocha squash hybrid, the Marron d'Or into the Chinese market, after last year's initial shipment proved to be a major hit with consumers. Owner John Bostock says the company shipped 1,000 tonnes last year "as a sample", with plans to increase volumes throughout the coming year. "It's a Japanese variety that is not available in China," he said. "The Chinese do like Japanese cuisine and it is gaining a lot of traction. It has a sweet, nutty flavour - which is really delicious - stays…

Some already call it the Riviera of the South and now Timaru could also be the pizza capital of New Zealand, as the region becomes the Southern Hemisphere’s largest producer of natural mozzarella cheese.

New Zealand consumers may have to go without melons after a suspension of imports from Australia. The Ministry for Primary Industries had suspended the import of melons (rockmelon, honeydew and watermelon), cucumber and courgettes after finding the cucumber mottle mosaic virus on Australian produce at the border report FreshPlaza.

New Zealand's first commercial banana plantation will hopefully become a major part of the horticulture scene and create jobs, both in the agriculture and scientific sectors, according to its creators reports Matthew Russell for FreshPlaza.

The Maintenance Engineering Society (MESNZ) has covered a lot of the new face of manufacturing in New Zealand as it strides across the regions with the MESNZ Kaeser Compressors Network Evening series, finding new technologies and niche manufacturing in areas across the country.

Hansell's have come a long way since John Maunsell established the company in Masterton some 60 plus may even be 70 plus years ago. Now under the wing of Graeme Hart's son, Harrison Hart, the Hansells Food

The NZ government needs to invest in a national food brand in the same way it spends $100 million each year to promote New Zealand as a tourist destination, says agrifood marketing expert and Lincoln University agribusiness management senior lecturer Nic Lees.

New Zealand Food Innovation Auckland, known as The FoodBowl, is increasing the value of Kiwi food and beverage exports through catalysing and enabling national food tech growth, chief executive Alexandra Allan says.

Cheesemakers are set to benefit from a more modern and common-sense approach to food safety regulation, says Food Safety Minister Damien O’Connor. Delighted to be a guest at The Great Eketahuna Cheese Festival today, Mr O’Connor launched the Food Safety Template for Cheesemakers – a tool to help cheesemakers producing cheese for New Zealand and Australia to meet food safety requirements.

Spiralised vegetable noodles have won the best new product award at the Outstanding New Zealand Food Producers Awards.Marton company Speirs Foods' The Whole Mix noodles added to its gold and two silver medals for the range, taking home the FMCG Business Outstanding New Product Award.

What we produce should connect … Food is one of our biggest export earners. In 2016, land-based primary production which includes agriculture, horticulture, and forestry earned $35.4 billion, half of the country's total export earnings of $70.9 billion. All Birds shows town and country can be an ingenious lot too. It doesn't have to be an …

The kiwi market is currently seeing a seasonal switch. The campaign in northern Europe is coming to an end in the coming weeks, while in the southern hemisphere the harvest is starting slowly. Looking back, Greek exporters are enthusiastic about the season, as they have been taking advantage from the gap left in the market by Italy, its biggest competitor, which has had a smaller production. Logically, the mood in Italy is less enthusiastic, although the sector hopes for a good end of the season. The country will be able to continue supplying for longer than Greece, which the Italians…

Two New Zealand companies have teamed up to install a state of the art technology at the Apollo plant in Whakatu, Hawke’s Bay, that will bring some of the best in fruit and dairy beverages to Kiwis’ across the country.

Mar 07, 2018 - For the past two years, the Samoa Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has been in discussions with the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries through its bilateral Quarantine Agreement meetings. Now there is finally an outcome that will see Samoa’s banana exports developing and growing again, although under strict New Zealand import bio security requirements.

Feb 23, 2018 - Following on from the successful opening of Brook Food Asia Pacific based in Melbourne in July 2012, Brook Food are to widen their reach by opening up a new branch office in New Zealand. Based in Washdyke, New Zealand and part of the Brook Food Group, we look forward to welcoming our customers, both new and existing, to take full advantage of our expertise and knowledge within the baking industry.

Jan 3, 2018 - New Zealand company Matakana SuperFoods is gearing up to attend January’s ECRM EPPS event in Washington, D.C., bringing its Acai Bowls, Supergreens, Supershakes, Superchocs and Superfood Chocolate Bars into the U.S. marketplace. The more than 70 lines of Matakana SuperFoods products include chia seeds, maqui, goji and acai berries, coconut sugar and fermented coconut sauces, and its popular Supergreens and Supershake blends.

Dec 13, 2017 - Pumpkin prices increased 176 percent in the year to November 2017, to reach $5.78 a kilo, the highest price since the food price series began in December 1993, Stats NZ said today. Pumpkin and kumara are typically more expensive in November, but both hit record levels after larger-than-usual increases this year. “Poor growing conditions due to the wet weather early this year had a huge impact on the supply of pumpkin and kumara,” consumer prices manager Matthew Haigh said. “Pumpkin prices have reflected lower supply, with dramatic price increases in the last three months, while kumara…

Published: December 4, 2017 2:48PM New management team at Corson focused on extending its maize-based product mix. NEW BOSS: Daniel Prenter became Corson chief executive in July, after 19 years in food production and food packaging for the meat, horticulture and dairy sectors. He is originally from Hawke’s Bay. Picture by Liam ClaytonThe continuing trend towards healthy, safe food is helping to propel Gisborne-based food ingredients company Corson into the future. Armed with a new management team and dedicated product development manager, Corson plans to capitalise on the immense opportunities in new maize-based products and markets, says chief executive Daniel…

Nov 22, 2017 - A five-year growth pattern could see alternative proteins lead the way for consumer choice. The growth of alternative proteins is becoming a contender for sought after analogue products in its rise to rival that of traditional meat products. A recently-released global research paper suggested growth of alternative proteins, including plant-based meat substitutes, emerging insect or algae-based products and lab-grown meat products, had started to compete for the ‘centre of the plate’ and was stealing growth from its traditional counterparts. Authors of the Rabobank report ‘Watch out…or they will steal your growth’ warned a five-year trend could…

Nov 21 2017 - New Zealand hopes to be exporting fresh avocados to China soon after talks to meet regulatory requirements. A protocol has been signed between the Ministry for Primary Industries and China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. AQSIQ will audit New Zealand's system for exporting avocados in mid-December. New Zealand already exports fresh apples, kiwifruit, cherries, plums, citrus and persimmons to China and it's hoped a significant market can be built for avocados. In the 2016/17 season, New Zealand produced a record 7.9 million trays of avocados worth more than $200 million. About $155.5m…

A Tauranga company has spent seven years developing a unique platform to safeguard the more than 800,000 hives in New Zealand, and satisfy overseas market access requirements, with its globally unique software. ApiTrak, which launches this month, allows everyone – from hobbyists with 10 hives, to corporates with over 10,000 – to easily track and verify their product throughout the value chain. Founder and chief executive officer Hayden Stowell says ApiTrak maintains the confidence of overseas consumers and regulators in the integrity of New Zealand Manuka honey, by ring-fencing the industry to easily identify stolen or adulterated product and provide…

7 Nov - Back from New York, patisserie chef Hilary Wroe recently shared her experience of working at top-end Manhattan restaurants with trainee chefs at EIT. Hilary, who grew up in Waipukurau, was happily embracing Hawke’s Bay’s more relaxed vibe after her hectic year in the Big Apple. For six months she worked at The Musket Room, a restaurant owned by New Zealander Matt Lambert. Her second six-month stint was at Le Coucou, a French fine dining establishment catering for around 200 guests a night.After just a fortnight back in the country, Hilary was weighing up offers for jobs in…

Nov 7, 2017 - A Carterton business which produces a third of the country’s bacon could bring more jobs to the region after it undergoes a development worth more than $10 million. The expansion of the Premier Beehive factory is scheduled to be completed in November next year. Managing director Dene McKay has worked with Premier Beehive for nine years but has not seen anything like the upgrade that is planned for the factory on Moreton Rd. “We’ve outgrown the space that we have in regards to the footprint and capability.” The planned development was a “big investment” and…

Nestlé has today set a goal to source only eggs from cage-free hens for all its food products globally by 2025. This includes all shell eggs and egg products directly sourced as ingredients by Nestlé. In Europe and the U.S., Nestlé will make the transition by the end of 2020. For the rest of the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania it will happen by 2025, with the move in Asia to be completed in the same transition period, as conditions allow. In some parts of the world, such as in Europe, over 40% of eggs used by Nestlé…

DUBAI, 24th October, 2017 (WAM) -- Dubai Exports, the export promotion agency of Dubai Economy, in partnership with the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre, DIEDC, conducted the first-ever Islamic Economy trade mission to New Zealand, comprising business leaders and government officials, who sought to strengthen the emirate’s position in the global trade for Sharia compliant products and services. With a low population and a food-export-driven economy, New Zealand is viewed as a major market and potential partner in channeling trade through Dubai. The red meat industry is one of New Zealand’s major export earners bringing in more than AED15 billion…

Vegetable prices have risen a record 31 per cent in the past year, according to Statistics New Zealand. The unusually wet weather this year has damaged crops and is responsible for most of the price hike. With vast areas of horticultural production land in the region, under threat from urban development, this means that the region will not be able to supply the horticultural production that the population of the area uses currently, from within the region, and this can only mean severe increases in the prices of fruit and vegetables. Many people are already finding it difficult to provide…

SEATTLE, Oct. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NutriBullet, the world's original nutrient extractor, today unveiled the newest addition to its collection of products designed to achieve ultimate wellness – NutriBullet Balance – at the Smart Kitchen Summit. The NutriBullet Balance represents the evolution of blending by providing consistent taste, and detailed transparency of nutritional statistics such as calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat and sugar intake, among others with every smoothie. In partnership with Perfect Company, NutriBullet has taken the art of smoothie making to the next level with NutriBullet Balance making its mark as the world's first fully integrated nutrition extraction system.…

The warmer spring weather is finally rewarding New Zealand with an improved supply and prices on new season asparagus, courgettes and strawberries. This week shoppers will find asparagus in either 250 gram bunches or 500g bags at the cheapest price so far this season. The courgettes are now half the price they were last week and again either loose or in 500g bags. Broccoli supplies have been erratic over the last few days, cauliflowers have been good buying and celery, silverbeet and spinach are all selling at normal spring time prices. Capsicums, cucumbers, iceberg lettuce and hydroponic fancy lettuces are…

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), a trans-Tasman regulatory body, has approved 6 lines of GE potatoes (A1139) carrying genes from viruses and bacteria to stop discoloration and alter vital nutritional components [1]. The NZ Minister for Food Safety has let down NZ consumers yet again by failing to carry out a thorough public safety evaluation. The joint submission from GE-Free NZ and Soil and Health highlighted many studies that show harm from eating GE foods, which FSANZ has dismissed and ignored. [2] The FSANZ decision states, “No public health and safety concerns have been identified in relation to food…

The FoodBowl and DWC FoodTech are pleased to present a tailored one-day training course providing food manufacturers (and supporting industry) the practical information needed to manage heat processing options, health risks, guidelines and compliance. The continued rapid growth in consumer demand for chilled foods has seen a proliferation of a wide range of products utilising an increasing array of packaging and processing systems. The need for widespread distribution means that manufacturers must maximise shelf life without compromising food safety. Whilst chilled foods are perceived as fresh and healthy, there can be increased risks. This workshop will address the issues involved…

FreshPlaza | The link between weather and the price of vegetables has become all too apparent for shoppers in recent months. Grocery prices across New Zealand skyrocketed after back-to-back storms wiped out entire crops. In our household, we swapped kumara for potatoes, after prices nudged $9/kg. Kumara was just $3.12/kg in July 2016, according to Statistics New Zealand. It's been a terrible growing season for vegetable producers. This year's kumara crop was just one of the casualties. Planting was delayed by unfavourable weather conditions. The seedlings then struggled through a dry summer. The country's commercial crop is grown in Dargaville…

A move has begun to develop a tropical fruits demonstration farm in the Gisborne district with the initial focus on the potential for commercial banana production. Northland-grown bananas have been at markets in Northland for some time and the rising interest in their production led to the formation of the Tropical Fruit Growers of New Zealand (TFGNZ) group. That group has begun to explore and experiment with tropical fruit production in Northland with bananas as their first focus. The group has offered their expertise to the Te Nahu whanau Tai Pukenga Trust based in Papatu Road at Manutuke. “Looking for…

Kegstar has acquired Keg Lease Pty Ltd, a specialist keg leasing company that focusses on the Australian craft beer industry. Keg Lease was previously owned by brewing ingredients supplier Bintani. “Since commencing operations in December 2012, Keg Lease has grown to be a major supplier of keg leasing services in the Australian market with in excess of 21,000 kegs currently leased to over 125 customers,” Bintani said in a statement. “We now feel the time is right for Kegstar to continue the growth of Keg Lease with its strong access to capital as part of Brambles and the opportunity to…

Celebrating 30 years of food innovation The finalists have been announced for the prestigious New Zealand Food Awards 2017, recognising Kiwi companies for their outstanding innovations in New Zealand’s food and beverage industry. Now in its 30th year, the awards, powered by Massey University, celebrate the creative innovations from New Zealand’s artisanal and large-scale food and beverage manufacturers. Finalists have submitted their finest products in the hopes of taking out one of the top awards, including the Artisan Food Producer Award, BITE Gourmet Award, Export Innovation Awards and the coveted Massey University Supreme Award. The high-calibre finalist line-up includes a…

Three and half years ago, Roman and Andrea Jewell, who was expecting the couples first child at the time, started Fix & Fogg. Previously both lawyers, they made the choice to leave behind the corporate life and dedicate their time and energy to creating something meaningful, sustainable, and delicious. They decided to make the world’s best peanut butter. They love that they make every jar of Fix & Fogg peanut butter from start to finish in their factory in Wellington. From designing labels to carefully blended peanut butter, they are completely hands-on throughout the entire process. They think the award-winning…

Whittaker's, a premium brand of chocolate in the Land of the Long White Cloud has established a foothold in the Fijian market thanks to an exclusive distribution deal with the Motibhai Group. Whittaker's head of international markets Matt Whittaker who visited the country this week on a market-familiarisation trip, said he was very impressed with the response from Fijian customers. "We're delighted to now have this opportunity to build our relationship with chocolate lovers in Fiji via the strong distribution network of Motibhai Group and Prouds retail outlets," he said. Mr Whittaker said while more established brands in the Fijian…

Bluenote's contributor Briar McCormack takes a look at 'that worldly beer from Kingsland,' Auckland. That’s the concept behind Urbanaut Brewing Company - and it’s one hitting the mark with craft-beer enthusiasts. When directors Thomas Rowe, Simon Watson and Bruce Turner embarked on their craft-beer dream they wanted to celebrate big cities around the world and use them as inspiration for the beers they brewed. “We started with Kingsland Pilsner as our flagship beer, next came Brixton Pale Ale - paying homage to the home of pale ale,” says head brewer Turner. " “[Craft beer] will continue to see growth but…

One of New Zealand’s fastest rising consumer production companies, The Pure Food Co, is about to take off as it has opened a massive new manufacturing facility in Auckland. The Pure Food Co, rated one of the rising stars in the latest Deloitte Fast 50 Index, had taken control of its business by ramping up opportunities after building their own production plant in Mt Wellington. Pure Food founders Sam Bridgewater and Maia Royal have spent the last three years growing their food business at Auckland’s food innovation incubator The FoodBowl. They had reached the point where they had enough investment…

Minister for Food Safety David Bennett met with Dr Penny Lukito, the chairwoman of Indonesia’s National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) this morning. BPOM is one of Indonesia’s five main regulators for food safety, animal health, and plant health. It is responsible for the regulation and product safety testing of all processed foods, both domestic and imported. “Meetings like this are important to ensuring that both agencies are aware of the goals each are working towards within their country’s food safety systems, a key tool underpinning agricultural trade,” Mr Bennett says. BPOM and Ministry for Primary Industries signed…

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) today launched ePIF™, the first element under the AFGC Authorised Food Data System® initiative that is harnessing digital disruption to empower companies to better source and manage information on their products. AFGC CEO Ms Tanya Barden said that ePIF™ provides a technological asset for industry to meet the increasing costs of operating in a highly regulated industry by enabling companies to track product information across its entire value chain. “AFGC’s ePIF™ is a tool developed by the $126 billion food industry in Australia and New Zealand to obtain and share information needed to…

Goodman Fielder plans to close two factories in Auckland, consolidating their production to a single site and shifting its pie-making operation to Palmerston North as part of an ongoing efficiency drive in what it calls "a very competitive market". The diversified manufacturer owned by Singapore-based Wilmar International and Hong Kong-listed investment firm First Pacific Co will close its Irvines bakery at Wiri and its Hot Plate bakery in East Tamaki. The Irvines line will relocate to Palmerston North while production at Hot Plate will be consolidated to Goodman's larger Quality Bakers Auckland facility. Some 147 workers are affected by the…

Food sector magazine, Foodprocessing out of Australia report that post-harvest fresh and processed handling solutions company Wyma Solutions has announced a formal strategic partnership with North American supplier of fresh produce packaging and equipment automation solutions Volm Companies. The partnership will allow the companies to work in a closely integrated manner resulting in turnkey solutions that leverage the global experience of both organisations. Both companies will be adding significant sales, engineering, technical service and manufacturing resources and select Wyma products will be manufactured for the North American market. Continue to the full article here . . . || June 1,…

Scientists have used some surprising and ingenious methods to get Greenshell™ mussels to breed in captivity and their efforts could soon be worth $200 million a year to the New Zealand economy. Warm baths and vibrating devices are just two of the clever tricks New Zealand scientists have employed to get the famous (and somewhat shy) Greenshell™ mussels to breed on cue. The first crop from the SPATNZ hatchery is now ready to harvest and to eat, after years of investigative work in Nelson, New Zealand. Scientist and SPATNZ boss, Rodney Roberts says it’s taken quite a bit of experimenting…

Mettler Toledo is inviting New Zealand manufacturers to a one-day event at its newly established Centre of Excellence in Hamilton on March 29. The free event will include a range of workshops covering key industry topics such as foreign object detection, food safety and compliance, and hazardous area weighing. Centre experts will also provide hands-on product demonstrations, guides on good analytical practice, and a new approach to pH measurement. The workshops are designed for food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and chemical producers interested in improving contamination detection, analysis of pH, conductivity and dissolved oxygen, and hazardous area weighing processes. “This one-time…

VIRGIN coconut oil (VCO) produced in Fiji and the Pacific has been tested as one of the top quality oils in the world. After the opening of the new VCO factory at the Savusavu Copra Millers Ltd last Friday, a New Zealand company known as COCAVO had shown interest in purchasing VCO oil from the factory. In an interview the company's chief operating officer Roger MacDonald said the company purchased four tonnes of VCO from producers around the country on a monthly basis. Mr MacDonald said VCO was a very able product that Fiji could focus on rather than getting…

3M Food Safety has responded to the needs of the food safety industry with its latest luminometer, now available in Australia and New Zealand and offering greater sensitivity, more powerful and intuitive software, wireless connectivity and a rugged, user-friendly ergonomic industrial design. Advances with the company’s latest Clean-Trace Hygiene Monitoring and Management System include the use of photomultiplier technology to amplify any luminescence and boost the likelihood of detection. This is an important element in the luminometer’s re-engineering, and applies techniques used in cutting-edge medical devices, medical imaging and aerospace engineering. The second area of improvement is the system’s upgraded…

Most of the smart factory discussion has centred around discrete manufacturing, but modern smart sensing technologies can also be applied to improve many aspects of the food and beverage industry, particularly for food safety and track and trace, improved packaging and new product opportunities. The concepts of Industry 4.0, IIoT and ‘smart manufacturing’ have been gaining much press in recent times, particularly in relation to discrete manufacturing. Those working in an industry such as food and beverage — overwhelmingly driven by batch manufacturing processes — may find it difficult to see how such technologies could assist and improve their business.…

Comvita, the manuka honey products company, has sold its Medihoney brand to US partner Derma Sciences for about $19 million, and will reap a further $11 million selling Derma shares in a takeover offer of the Nasdaq-listed company. The gross proceeds of the Medihoney deal will amount to US$13.25 million, with a US$5 million earnout payable on sales milestones being achieved, Comvita said in a statement to the NZX. Comvita also owns 1.1 million shares in Derma Sciences, which announced on Jan. 10 that it will be acquired by Nasdaq-listed Integra LifeSciences for US$7 per share by the end of…

New Zealand make-at-home yogurt business EasiYo Products is looking to grow its business in Europe through a tie-up with Ireland-based dairy group Ornua. An agreement between the two companies will see EasiYo's yogurt mixes made outside New Zealand for the first time. Ornua will blend and pack its Irish dairy powders into EasiYo's mixes at its site in Leek in central England. Brian Dewar, EasiYo's CEO, said: "The UK and EU markets represent a multi-million pound opportunity for us to capitalise on this growing consumer trend of people who love to make fresh wholesome food at home. Moving manufacture and…

Northland looks set to be the launching pad for a new global food product. Cocavo, made from a combination of organic coconut and avocado oils, has just had a "soft launch" in Whangarei and is positioned to fulfil the expectations of its investors who predict it to be this decade's hottest new food item. The product is a world first, says Cocavo Ltd co-founder and general manager Neville Montefiore. It was designed to be the ultimate cooking oil giving an extra 5 per cent of flavour and "pizazz" in every dish, he says. Apart from being lower in saturated fat…

Food Safety Minister Jo Goodhew is welcoming progress on improving food labelling, including consistent labelling of added fats and oils that are high in saturated fatty acids. “As Food Safety Minister my priority for New Zealand consumers is food safety and public health. For nutrition purposes, the labelling of high saturated oils like palm oil and coconut oil should be consistent with New Zealand and Australia’s dietary guidelines. I made New Zealand’s position clear at today’s meeting of the Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation,” Mrs Goodhew says. The Forum discussed Recommendation 12, which states that where…